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Hey all,
I know some of you have an Iwata airbrush…well, I just bought one, and I have a question after reading the directions. They make it sound like unless you use their brand of paint (Iwata’s ComArt airbrush paints), you need to ‘filter’ your paint. Is this true, or are they just trying to pimp their own brand (which is, according to them, God’s gift to airbrushes)? Has anyone ever done this? HOW do you do it? I’ve been using Golden Liquid Acrylics (thinned down with their Airbrush Medium) whenever I used my other airbrushes, and I didn’t know anything about filtering paint. I am now wondering if I should have been doing that. D: They were all pretty cheap airbrushes (I didn’t want to buy a ‘nice’ one until I understood them better!)…but this one cost me a pretty penny, and I don’t want to screw it up. O__O;kitsunelady wrote:Hey all,
I know some of you have an Iwata airbrush…well, I just bought one, and I have a question after reading the directions. They make it sound like unless you use their brand of paint (Iwata’s ComArt airbrush paints), you need to ‘filter’ your paint. Is this true, or are they just trying to pimp their own brand (which is, according to them, God’s gift to airbrushes)? Has anyone ever done this? HOW do you do it? I’ve been using Golden Liquid Acrylics (thinned down with their Airbrush Medium) whenever I used my other airbrushes, and I didn’t know anything about filtering paint. I am now wondering if I should have been doing that. D: They were all pretty cheap airbrushes (I didn’t want to buy a ‘nice’ one until I understood them better!)…but this one cost me a pretty penny, and I don’t want to screw it up. O__O;Well I don’t have that brand of airbrush but I know that not all paints will work in airbrushes because they will clog the airbrush. Golden paint makes an airbrush media that can be mixed with any acrylic paint to make it airbrush safe. Hope that helps 🙂
Yeah, I have the airbrush medium for thinning my paints already…but I’m wondering if I should be using this as well! –>
Oh airbrushes! Always trying to be so exclusive with their products! Airbrush paint brands are always like, OMG ouuurs is the best!!111 😀 Don’t be tricked… it’s all your personal preference, depending on how you paint, how you set your air brush up, and what you’re painting. As long as you clean your airbrush out well, especially with water based paint, it’s all good!
Using both water based and solvent based paint in the same airbrush is generally not advisable, because unless you keep the airbrush absolutely squeaky clean, the solvents in the solvent paint can loosen up crust left from the water based paint and make all sorts of clogging fun happen! That’s probably moot because most people probably just stick with water based paint at home.
Filtering just means pouring the paint through a fine sieve to remove any clumps so it doesn’t clog your airbrush (or clog it as much 😀 ). You can purchase disposable fine mesh paint filters at a hardware or paint store, or online. They are usually a paper cone with the tip of the cone made from mesh. Or you can get plastic funnel filters that last a long time.
There are tons of water based airbrush paints out there, made for hobby, taxidermy, auto painting and whatever else people do with it. Just because it’s made for one thing, doesn’t mean you can’t use it for a different application as long as the paint and the surface are agreeable. Different airbrush paints have wildly different consistencies… Some are quite thin and watery, while others are very thick and syrupy! Some paints settle out (the solids settle annoyingly at the bottom of the bottle) a lot more than others and can cause clogging, and some stay fairly mixed and evenly fluid even when they’ve been sitting on the shelf for ages. It’s always a good idea to give your paint a shake before using, regardless.
I tend to only filter my paint when the paint is quite old or settled out… 9__9 If the paint is fresh and holds solution then I don’t bother. If you’re pouring the paint into your airbrush and you see particles or blobs plopping in there, or if you smear some paint between your fingers and see some particulate, then definitely filter the paint (and clean the airbrush out before pouring the nicely filtered paint in there!). Sometimes it’s hard to see the clumps though, so if your airbrush is being a brat, it’s a good idea to filter the paint just to rule it out as an issue. When I’ve been in a pinch and had to use thinned tube acrylics or latex paint, I’ve always filtered just to be safe.
I dunno. The paint you choose to paint with is a personal choice! People will love and hate the same brand of paint for painting the exact same thing. If you like your paint, then go for it! You won’t kill your Iwata as long as you take care of it. 🙂
(wow sorry for babbling on so much! O__o)
Psst… Windstone uses this brand and I guarantee you they use different kinds of paint. XD
Just make sure to get something to clean it well afterward. I hate chemicals, but if you don’t have a sonic bath then you should use something designed to clean airbrushes. I use a brand that smells like the worst isopropyl alcohol ever. I don’t know what it’s called because the label is all in Japanese.
Volunteer mod- I'm here to help! Email me for the best response: nambroth at gmail.com
My art: featherdust.comI did wonder…I looked at the color selection for ComArt paints, and unless I missed something, they haven’t got any interference colors. = All they had was some ‘perlescent additive’. Bor-ing. I also went to some airbrushing forum and looked all over it for mention of straining paint, and there were like…two posts. 9_9; Some guy had an airbrush that was spitting, and someone suggested he strain his paint. That was it. >___>;
Your cleaner smells really bad, huh? o.o; How strange. I wonder if the kind I’ve been using sucks because it doesn’t smell?! D: I think I got it at Hobby Lobby…
Anyhoo, I will let you know how it goes. The spray test they sent with this airbrush is A-mazing! I am sooo psyched. *scurries away*
I use Iwata myself…an Iwata HP-C. They’re definately pimping they’re own brand of paints. I’ve put many brands and varieties of paints through my airbrush with no problem. Like Jennifer said, keeping it clean is an important issue, or it will start misbehaving, spitting, and clogging. Do you have one of the little brush sets for cleaning an airbrush yet? Here’s a link to what one looks like.
They dont cost much, but it’s the best $3 accessory you’ll ever buy. 😀
Oh, one side note…make sure any paint you use is smooth (edit-sorry, guess this was already covered)…..if it happens to have little lumps in it that are solid or goopy, it will clog up your airbrush in a hurry. Consistent light textured paints work much better through an airbrush than thick, uneven, or grainy textured paints. Which means metallic paints with larger metal flake bits will be harder to work with than finer grade metallics. And, putting a quick shot of cheap windex through your airbrush, followed by a bit of a water rinse in between color changes will help your spray consistency as well.
Oooo, they had that on Dick Blick, but it came with a bunch of junk I didn’t need (and was $35). I must have some. I cleaned my Paasche airbrushes out after every use, but all I had were pipe cleaners. >.>; Windex, huh? Reminds me of that movie “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”, where the dad’s solution to everything was to put a little Windex on it!
Yeah, I think the only grainy paint I have is something called uh…Micaceous Oxide..something…and I probably spelled that wrong. I haven’t used it on anything but the little spiral on a muse yet, though. = Hmm.
I *did* put the biggest tip I had on my Paasche and tried some (very fine) metal flake once. I don’t *think* it hurt it…I’ve used it since, and all seemed well. 😀 Eh, it was so pretty and shiny I couldn’t resist…
Yuh…I really need to buy a bigger tip for my airbrush…I run everything though the tip my airbrush came with!
I dont think those paints will actually hurt your airbrush, they’re just more prone to clogging and “burping” that can mar a sculpture if you’re trying for a perfect finish. Iwata airbrushes…being stainless steel, are great for using different paints because it’s a material that’s easy to clean, and hard to damage.
Yeah, I’m liking it so far…the one I bought is one of the Micron line though, so I can’t go putting grainy anything in it. e.e; I wanted something with as little overspray/as fine a line as possible. I played with it for like 3 hours yesterday. Covered a 20×20 sheet of paper with doodling and then tormented a couple of PYOs that I’ve been using to practice various ideas on. 😀 It’s pretty cool, but compared to the person who did the sample sheet, I have no skillz. >.>;;; Yet.
😀 I love experimenting with my airbrush, it’s the absolute best way to learn and develop an airbrushing style all your own. Be sure to post your first ‘finished’ experiment!
Just be sure to use respiratory and eye protection. Especially respiratory! Atomized paints can be dangerous to breathe; depending on the pigments and things used in the paint it can cause anything from lung irritation to an extreme carcinogen! AP nontoxic labels do not cover the breathing of the material once atomized. Note that many Golden paints are not at all safe to breathe.
I looked all this up once after I blew my nose and .. well.. my boogers were bright blue (I had been using blue paint). It made me realize in horror just how much I had breathed in! Now I use particle respirators.Volunteer mod- I'm here to help! Email me for the best response: nambroth at gmail.com
My art: featherdust.comHaha, blue bogies. Don’t worry, I have one of those gas mask looking deals and some safety glasses…even though I hate the glasses. But not as much as I hate getting anything in my eyes!
We had this discussion at work : would you rather be deaf, mute, or blind? All agreed it would be best to be mute. Second choice was deaf. No one wanted to be blind. o_o;
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